Six Congress workers jailed after protest at Election Commissioner’s Agra home

Police in Agra have registered a case against around 20 Congress workers after a protest outside Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s residence, according to police sources cited by The Hindu. The protest took place on September 28 in the Vijay Nagar area. Congress workers allegedly wrote slogans in black paint on the gate and wall of the house before leaving, the report said.

Six people were arrested: Congress leaders Anil Yadav, Mukesh Dhangar, Manoj Gaur, Rajesh Kumar, Raja Gautam and Pankaj Chaudhary. Police said they were sent to jail on September 29. The case was filed at Hariparvat police station following a written complaint by Sub-Inspector Gaurav Gupta.

It names eight people and also refers to 15 to 20 unidentified Congress workers. The accused have been booked under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. These include sections concerning attempted murder, causing grievous hurt to deter a public servant, wrongful restraint, assault or criminal force against a public servant, rioting, house-trespass, criminal intimidation and intentional insult.

Amit Singh, the Congress city president, said the police action went beyond the provisions that should have applied to a protest. He alleged that several charges were false and said a Congress delegation would meet the police commissioner to seek their removal. The incident formed part of a statewide Congress agitation against Kumar.

The source material does not include a response from the Election Commission or the police to the Congress allegations.